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Apr 29, 2012 | 01:44

'Arms to Syria' ship intercepted

April 29 - Lebanon impounds a ship after finding weapons on board it believes were destined for rebels in Syria. Paul Chapman reports.

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REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY SOME OF THE CONTENT OF THIS VIDEO WHICH HAS BEEN OBTAINED FROM A SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE
Footage released by the Lebanese army shows the impounded Lutfallah II and the cargo of weapons Lebanese authorities believe was destined for Syrian rebels.
Lebanon's security forces said the ship was intercepted on Friday and forced to dock at Salaata port.
The arsenal is said to include light, medium and heavy weapons, rocket propelled grenades among them.
The footage also showed crates of ammunition.
Sources said The Sierra Leone-flagged ship had sailed from Libya via the Egyptian port of Alexandria.
Syrian authorities have repeatedly said weapons were being smuggled in from neighbouring countries to arm the rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad.
The discovery came just ahead of the arrival of the new head the United Nations supervision mission in Syria.
SOUNDBITE: NEERAJ SINGH, OFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE U.N ADVANCE TEAM, SAYING (English):
"The U.N. Secretary General has appointed Major General Robert Mood as the chief military observer and head of the monitoring mission for the United Nations supervision mission in Syria."
With scenes like this purportedly showing Syrian military operations in Douma two days after a visit by U.N. ceasefire observers, Mood's job won't be easy.
The footage was obtained from a social media website and can't be independently verified by Reuters.
The April 12 ceasefire brokered by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has had limited impact on the scale of daily bloodshed.
Both sides accuse each other of breaching the truce.
Paul Chapman, Reuters

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